SPOOKED staff at The Fleece Inn in Bretforton are appealing for psychic investigators to spend a night at the historic pub restaurant and uncover the secrets of its ghostly past.

Following a series of eerie events at the National Trust owned medieval farmhouse, landlord Peter Clarke is determined to get to the bottom of why apparitions, mysterious noises and a sinister presence has disturbed staff and customers alike for years.

He said: "Since I arrived here only a few months ago I've heard a succession of spine-chilling accounts of supernatural incidents. It would be fascinating to discover what is causing them and why it is determined to communicate with us.

"I understand there are teams of paranormal researchers who can communicate with ghosts via scientific equipment. It would be a huge relief just to get proof that the experiences are real and that we're not just imagining them."

The picturesque pub's haunted reputation began a few years ago when the security beam guarding the priceless set of Stuart pewter activated the alarm. On arrival at the scene, a wooden chair in the corner was said to be rocking rapidly and the vague figure of an elderly lady was said to be seated in it.

"I have also heard reports of sightings of a lady in the upstairs window, and I often hear strange noises coming from the top rooms," Mr Clarke said.

"I admit the building is 500 years old and it is bound to creak, but these noises are unearthly somehow."

Similar accounts have been reported with lights inexplicably turning off and indistinct figures being seen to glide eerily across the bar.

Mr Clarke said: "We have a series of ancient witch circles on the floor which are shrouded in mystery. Another strange phenomena is the strong smell of lavender perfume around the fireplace in the mornings which nobody can explain."

Anxious to get to the truth, Mr Clarke said: "With its rich history and ancient folklore it is entirely possible that the building has more than one ghost. The question is what do they want from us, and that's what I'm hoping to find out from the experts."

The Fleece has variously been known as The Ark, The Blue Pump, and Mrs Phipps' Up at The Cross. Lola Taplin was the last in the long line of family licensees. She died in 1977 after 30 years in charge and left the Inn, its contents and the garden, along with three-quarters of her residual estate, to the National Trust to ensure that the Fleece remained as an unspoilt country inn.

The Inn has always been famed for its Jacobean furniture, the collection of brass and crock drinking mugs, together with the set of nearly 50 pewter plates and serving dishes, first used in Charles Stuart's day, and reputed to have been given to the Fleece in place of silver requisitioned in the Civil War.

Lola carried on her mother's tradition of chalking white lines, mystic symbols and witches' circles on the centuries old Inn floor. One way of keeping witches away was to seal the cracks between the flagstones with a white line so that witches could not come through the floor.

Tradition says that especially vulnerable places favoured by witches are in front of fireplaces and underneath furniture, where circles and unbroken lines symbols served as further discouragement to witches gaining entrance.